Are ISPs watching?

A New Jersey court has ruled internet users have the right to expect their online activity will be private, reports MediaPost.

During the case, which dealt with a criminal matter, the court ruled a user's IP address cannot be disclosed to police by an ISP without a grand jury subpoena. It likened IP information to bank records and other data traditionally seen as private.

It also said a user's click activity should legally be treated like private information. Broad access to that information risks the public revelation of private, potentially embarrassing information about users.

Behavioral ad targeting firms dismissed the notion that the ruling could be applied to their practices. NebuAd argued it doesn't collect personally identifiable information, so it will not be affected. Privacy advocates nonetheless hailed the case as the beginning of an online identity protection trend.